Ben Johnson was a real cowboy before he ever became an actor and was true to his roots in every film he made.

I have to say the "Mildly Annoyed" cowboy, Clint Eastwood, is my favorite of this list.

Lee Van Cleef deserve without a doubt to be on top, no matter what movies he plays in, he is a COWBOY, I like him in every western he ever made, Good or Bad guy, my top one will be For a Few Dollars More, Unforgettable! It doesn’t take anything away from the Bad. My second favorite of his roles.

Lee Van Cleef most frequently appeared in spaghetti western.. And he made it worth to watch..

They forgot Yosemite Sam who is the rootinist tootinist cowboy in the West, East, North, and South.

Excellent list but you did forget the top cowboy of all cowboys, Mr. Yakima Canutt. A rodeo star, a stunt man who working with John Wayne developed the proper fight scene and also figured out how to do horse stunts that didnt hurt the horses. Even became a 2nd director in many movies

John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Roy Rogers, Audie Murphy, Randolph Scott, Gary Cooper, Sam Elliott, James Stewart, Texas Ritter

Sam elliot has the greatest voice for film ever, especially westerns. The Outlaw Josey Wales is my personal favourite western ever.

Slim Pickens was a real cowboy. In his teens he defied his father and entered a rodeo competition. In order to not be found out he asked the lady taking all the entry forms for any suggestions for a fake name. She said Well it’s Slim Pickens around here. He may never have played the leading role. The rest where actors but you could tell he was the real deal. Plus that drawl and his riding that atom bomb down to his doom is iconic. BTW he won that rodeo.

I'd like to add some honorable mentions.... James Garner for "Support your local Sheriff" and "Maverick" Yul Brynner for "The Magnificent Seven" and "Westworld" Eli Wallach for "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" and "The Magnificent Seven" Robert Redford and Paul Newman for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" The entire cast of "Silverado" Damn..that was a great Western.... Maybe not the most prolific Cowboy actors, but the few films they made were really good.

Lee Van Cleef is one of my all time favorites. Death Rides a Horse is probably my all time favorite western. And a lot of that is due to Van Cleef. He gets to be the hero for once and he's a stone cold badass in that flick. I don't know how many times I've seen it but it hasn't been enough..

The best cowboy actor was Ben Johnson. He was a cowboy in the first place and a rodeo champion. Acted in many John Ford and Peckinpah movies. You can’t be more cowboy than him.

Randolph Scott is definitely one of the top 5 for me. I have respect for Lee Van Cleef - he was really excellent.

I think ben johnson also deserve a mention here, he's one of the best co-star ever

I liked both a lot, but "The Outlaw Josey Wales" was really great.

The Duke,Clint Eastwood,Randolph Scott,Glenn Ford,Audie Murphy

I'm surprised Ol' Walter Brennan's name didn't appear here ... he showed up in 49 Westerns and won three Oscars. I loved him.

My personal favorite cowboy actor was a real cowboy, Ben Johnson

Good selection. For those of us watched these western movies when we were kids and enjoyed them, this video brings fond memories

I watched Richard Widmark last night in The Last Wagon, versatile actor, enjoyed seeing him in a cowboy/Indian role. he made more than fifteen westerns, enjoyed everyone of them.

I can't believe you left out Gary Cooper. Yeah his parentage was a bit aristocratic; however he was raised on a ranch in Montana - Learned to ride at an early age - including relearning to ride following a hip injury in his teens which left him with a distinctive walk AND riding style. To See a great shot of Coop riding a horse, check out The Westerner 1940. Cooper DID deserve the Oscar he received for High Noon; the original story was NOT written by Carl Foreman - and the movie is "unAmerican" only when seen thru the eyes of people who wish to see such. I hate to disagree with you - Yes Lee Van Cleefe was a very good actor. You show him as the most menacing of the men waiting to murder Cooper's character in High Noon. Lee Van Cleef WAS a real hero (to me - a US Navy Retiree) as he served in the US Navy in World War II But he was not (in my opinion) a better actor than Gary Cooper. Cooper was a Good Human Being - a Great Actor (2 Oscars must equal SOMETHING) and if not a true hero (that's debatable check out his children's opinions) He was an Heroic Figure. A Real Cowboy who portrayed Cowboys (as well an many other roles) on screen.

You just hit the nail of the genre! I've been a great fan of him since I saw "A Few Dollars More" in the theater. I told myself that Van Cleef should be first place, but I really didn't expect he was picked. He is the only cowboy actor who looks good in black Inverness, anyway!

I agree completely!! What a great list! They're all great actors!! Lee Van Cleef is on the top! He's a fantastic actor, I'm a real fan of his!

They are all great. Among my favorites are Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Glen Ford, and Terrence Hill. And Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster. Hondo is my favorite John Wayne movie.

The Duke , Ben Johnson , Robert Mitchum , Lee Marvin , Jimmy Stewart , Henry Fonda , Harry Carey .

Audie Murphy, real deal

Finally my boy Cleef getting the love he deserves

I don't have a favorite western actor,because I grew up watching westerns and I love them all.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the great Lee van Cleef at number one: he's a personal favorite of mine. Specifically I love the intelligence that radiates from him, even when he's in a tiny role. Sergio Leone said he wanted Cleef in his movies because Cleef's eyes burned through the screen. A much appreciated number-one. Personally I would have included Gary Cooper in this mix somewhere: another great cowboy, who was also a deceptively passive actor, bringing out his emotions quietly, stoically, and with conviction. And Walter Brennan, a cowboy from top to toe and a great support for so many of the headliners. He had a good time in a rare leading role as Judge Roy Bean and ran with it.

Audie Murphy. Just because he was a real hero, could really shoot and could really ride.

Death Rides a Horse. A seriously underrated movie. Haven't seen it for years. Like most great movies these days it usually shown at 2am.

You missed some partner: Gary Cooper; Randolph Scott; Joel McCrae I would put those three ahead of some of your picks.

Lee van cliff -----legend cow boy , trurly bad ass!!

My top 5 Cowboys would be: 1) Clint Eastwood 2) John Wayne 3) Randolph Scott 4) Gary Cooper 5) Lee Van Cleef

Slim Pickens is the best cowboy star in my pick. He was a bull rider in the rodeo. That was his real name. Slim Pickens was what he made. He got a small in a film and was history.👍.

5.Dale Robertson, 4.James Arness, 3.Chuck Conners, 2.Clint Eastwood, 1. John Wayne. Outlaws, 1. Lee Van Cleef, 2.Bruce Dern, 3.Jack Elam, 4.Terrence Hill, 5. Bud Spencer. 2 other greats for the good were hop-a-long Cassidy, and Palliden. Now that would be a MAGNIFICENT 7

Audie Murphy

Burt Lancaster, Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark, RobertTaylor, Charleston Heston, Randolph Scott, Joel Macrea, Kirk Douglass, Gary Cooper ,Glen Ford , Henry Fonda,Allan Ladd, Clark Gable,James Stewart, William Holden, Ben Johnson, Victor Mature! I could go on.

I do actually find myself agreeing with you, and may have been tempted to make Eastwood number one. Van Cleef was a legend, had a presence few did, those steely eyes, and he was a great character actor, and - in the Sergio Leone epics especially - he acted out tension, silence and short narratives immaculately

Wow! I respect your choices. Well done my friend. I'm not going to dispute them. All listed deserve to be on the list and it would be difficult for me to put one in front of another.

We have to add James Arness and Clint Walker to that list. Great TV western heroes!👍

I absolutely agree with you he is the baddest of all cowboys ever since he was a young man of 22 what a great actor and a cowboy he played

Don’t overlook Tom Sellek. He made a bunch of great westerns for TCM back in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Also Robert Duvall

An actor on my personal list would be the late great original 3:10 To Yuma star Glenn Ford. He was the fastest leather-clearer of a six-gun of any lead actor of his day or perhaps all time. He could out draw the expert who taught Matt Dillon/James Arness how to duel, by the instructor's own admission. Add to that Ford really rode horses and did a little cowboying too, to put it lightly.

I always like Clint Walker he was my hero when I was a little kid! A couple of movies he did that I thought were pretty good "Yellowstone Kelly" and "night of the grizzly"! I also thought his show Cheyenne was pretty good!

Charles Bronson belongs on your list. He was a cowboy or anything else with a passion! Jack Elam was also a cowboy.

A great cowboy most people forget is James Arness. Definitely one of the best.

Robert Duvall was one of the best actors of cowboy movies just saying

Deforest Kelly was a great cowboy/Western actor for playing villians or sidekicks. He was actually going to be cast to reprise his role as Morgan Earp in the Sequel to Gunfight at OK Corrral, however he was doing a certian TV Show at the time and couldn't get free to do the movie. You might have heard of the show...Star Trek. Kelly himself said in an interview in Starlog Magazine that his favorite roles and movies were his Westerns. He loved the shooting movies outdoors and just the whole Western genre. He also said that playing villians and sidekicks was a lot of fun. He was actually saddened when the Western Movies stopped being made over here.

I don’t think you got it wrong but it’s hard to limit it to just five. There’s Alan Ladd in Shane and Gary Cooper in High Noon.

I love it. Thank you.

I fully agree with Lee van Cleef as number one. He had a magnetic charisma that just drew the viewer in. He could convey so much with just his eyes and facial expressions before even opening his mouth to speak. And, yes, his missing finger joint made him even that more believable.

Not even an honorable mention to Gary Cooper or Audie Murphy, and I feel like the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers should have been mentioned. Yes he was a little flashier than many of the others on this list, but growing up he was my idol and someone I wanted to be more like. He told the story of Good vs Evil in a way that young people could understand.

You need to make it a top 10 list and include Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Steve McQueen and Audie Murphy!

What a fun video! And I loved the surprise of Lee Van Cleef for #1 but I can totally accept it as someone's opinion. Again, just a cool fun video! Thanks for posting!

I completely agree with this top 5. Congratulations !

As we often do. We over looked actors like Walter Brennan, Audie Murphy, Ben Johnson, Tom Selleck, and Glen Ford who could return his gun to his holster with our looking or fumbling.

Excellent list ! Bravo for Lee !

excellent thank you love history love western movies

Thanks for sharing 👍😀

Good choice with your top 5, but I have to say is one of my personal favorites, and quite underrated is Ben Johnson....all I can say is, he was the real deal!

Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday even though it was a one of was iconic!Clint Eastwood had the complete demeanor of a Western gunslinger!Wow just his look was enough !Coolness personified!But Lee Van Cliff was numero Uno period!

My good old departed friend told, back in the day, when i was just a little squirt, Van Cleef would hang around on the streets of his home town and mine Bound Brook NJ and folks would be amazed [ and buy him drinks at the local dive bar]. Lets honor all these cool actors and all the other western actors for the past 100 plus years.

Best video you've made, thanks , and these are all my favorite from the seventies BUT one cowboy is unique and that's Terence Hill. Thanks again. Pune City Jai Maharashtra.

Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, James Agness

Clint Eastwood ⭐️ A great don't-give-a-dern attitude, always staring off in a distance, mildly annoyed by the world around him. Never looses his head, he's cool, he's cunning. Doesn't give two hootes what you think of him. 😍💋💘❤💞❤️‍🔥🔥😘❤💋

My favorite is Charles Bronson. I thought Clint was the coolest until I discovered Bronson. Great video, thank you.

Hard to make a top 5 list but I would say it's a tossup between John Wayne and Clint Eastwood for the top spot but I'd have to give it to the Duke. A few of my favorites are Randolph Scott, Audie Murphy, Dale Robertson, Glenn Ford or even Ben Johnson. Too many to name but it's all subjective so no argument from me. Good video👍

I was thinking in my mind when I saw the title: “Lee Van Cleef better be on this freaking list”. Was not disappointed.

This Video was brilliant! The way you made it sound so cinematic really is the cherry on top, Excellent choices. Lee surely was, and always will be my favourite actor of all time. Thank you for bringing a smile on my face you earned a well deserved sub.

Great picks! John Wayne's ranch in Egar, AZ is close to my ranch in Concho, AZ

Arthur Morgan 😁😁. Lovely video. Im African but always fantasized about the romantic outdoor life. New sub!

The only time I ever saw Clint Eastwood as a cowboy was in "Rawhide." He mostly played gunfighters.

I loved Audie Murphy eventhough Randolph Scott was excellent , but my all-time favorite is most definitely the Duke John Wayne

Great video

These are all great actors! This makes me miss my father who was a fan of both Lee Van Cleef and Clint Eastwood!

1 Clint Walker 2John Wayne 3 Randolph Scott 4 Robert Mitchum 5 Jimmy Stewart 6 Eric Fleming 7 Clint Eastwood 8Alan Ladd 9 Ben Johnson 10 Lee Van Cleef

The Cowboy Actors my favorite is Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef 👍👍👍

I was hoping that LVC would be number 1 but I didn’t have much hope. When I saw that he was I subscribed. I’ve watched Death Rides a Horse probably 20 times this past week but more like 25 times. When Ryan first meets Bill and Bill says “What can i do for you”? And you just look at all the emotions LVC gives in that few seconds before he speaks is nothing short of brilliant. I live only a couple miles away from Forest Lawn where LVC is buried and will visit his grave next week. Thank you for such a great video.

All number one. No one better than the other, everyone has their own style and own artistic personality. Those who love the western love them all equally.

Lee Van Cleef is a babe

1. John Wayne .... 2. Eli Wallace ... 3. Lee Van Cleef ... 4. Client Eastwood .. 5. Gary Cooper..

My favorite movie cowboys growing up were Roy Rogers, Tim Holt, and John Wayne.

All good choices you proposed.

John Wayne personified the cowboy in my lifetime. He was the man we all looked up to as a boy.

You read my mind with Lee Van Cleef .

These are the greatest Legends of great cowboys

You are spot on with my favourites. But I will rearrange a little bit. 1. John Wayne 2. Clint Eastwood, 3. Franko nero (Django and Companeros) 4. Lee Van Cleef 5. Sam Elliot.

Glenn Ford made more, excellent, westerns than any other actor . Lee VanCleef was, for the most part, a co star so if you are not sticking to the major stars then Ben Johnson was the most, authentic, cowboy out there.

Also very charming man this Van Cleef!

Really good.

Man I loved your ranking👍! I guessed the no one. His high cheek bones, angular face and his piercing eyes. He truly is the no 1.

And please never skip Charles Bronson in Once Upon a Time in the West. Ben John is an obvious choice as well, but also a supporting actor.

Can’t really complain about the lineup!!

Excellent

Randolph Scott for me. TY for sharing

I knew it would be Eastwood, Elliot and HIM; but t gotta tell you, I didn't see this coming. I didn't know LVC had been in that many westerns.

Can't let this go without mentioning another great, Clayton Moore, as the Lone Ranger. Whenever I hear the theme song (from Gioachimo Rossini's William Tell Overture) I want to saddle up and go after some bad guys with my silver bullets. Hiyo Silver, Away!

dude I like you, I'm Greg, I've been watching westerns since as far back as I can remember 1959 I was born in 57 in march. I grew up on a dairy, my dad was a cow genius who could ride rope and shoot, he new animals and he loved John Wayne, so I think I've seen every JW movie ever made, so growing up I might of been 3 we watched wanted dead are alive, rawhide, and the wagon train, we only had black and white back then but my dad had his own remote, my little brother are me, and before that my big brother, he was born in 52 and a sister born in 53, then me and my little brother Tommy, a year in a half younger than me. sad he passed in July of 2020 lung cancer, ok down to business, I like your top 5 picks but I like mine more. # 5 Steve McQueen #4 Tom Selleck, he rides a horse better than anyone I've ever seen, Quigley down under was a great movie Tom Selleck is a great cowboy, . # 3 John Wayne #2 Charles Bronson, and #1 is Clint Eastwood, he's my guy, when you spoke about his best movies, you left out Josey Wales high plains drifter. my top 5 Clint movies besides the ,3 spaghetti Westerns are #1 pale Rider, #2 unforgiven #3 Josey Wales #4 2 mules for sister Sara, #5 it's a toss up between Joe Kidd high plains drifter. so sorry about Lee Van Cleef great actor but just missing my list. there's been quit a few cowboys, some of my favorites are Kurt Russell Samuel L Jackson Kevin Costner Tommy Lee Jones. there are others, cuz I got to go to bed it's like 3:00 in the morning. take care brother keep it up you're doing great. it's just my opinion like you have yours. I love what you do I wish I had the balls to do it keep it up man good luck to you

Thank for sharing, my picks are The Searchers, Shane and High noon and all of CLINT EASTWOOD'S MOVIES